Improvement in portable pence



clama Stairs @anni @titille LEWIS HAZLETT AND SAMUEL D. HAZLET'I, OF WINFIELD TOWNSHIP PENNSYLVANIA.

Letters Patent No. 96,805, dated November 16, 1869.

Ma- L IMPROVEMENT IN PORTABLE FENCE.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom fit may concern:

Beit known that we, LEwIs HAZLETT and SAM- UEL D. HAZLETT, of Winfield township, in the county of Butler, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Portable Fence and Gate\vay; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, making a pai-trof this specification, in which- Figure ll is a. side view of contiguous sections, showing the common panel-joint;

ylFgure 2 is a side View of contiguous sections, showing the key or gateway-joint;

Figures 3 and 4 show, in section, the positions of the same interloeked and fastened; and Y Figure 5 showsfa bevelled cleatattachcd to afenceraii.

The nature of our invention consists in an improved construction of a portable board fence, made as hereinafter described, in separate sections, and so that the adjacentends of contiguous sections may be readily iiit-erlocked and fastened, and as readily -unfastened and 'taken apart, for convenience in opening, moving, and shifting.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention,` we will proceed to explain its construction and manner of use.

a a represent the bars of a section of board felice, each section being made of any suitable length.

These are fastened together by cross-strips b b.

The ends of the barsare halved or notched as at a', and the cross-strips b are-nailed on just at or back oi' the shoulder of the halving.

For merely fence-purposes we then attach bevelfaced cleats c, of the form shown in fig. 5, on the outer face of two or more of the ends a of one section, so that the base or heel of each such ,cleat shall come at or a little forward of the shoulder .of the halving. y v

Across the ends of the parts a of the next adjacent section, we attach a cross-strip,`fl, the inner face of this strip d and the outer face of the cross-strip?) of the same section, being bevelled to any desired angle;

To enable us to insert the halved ends a, to which the'bevelled cleats c are attached, between the crossstrips b and d, We make notches in the cross-strip d, fig. 2.

'The ends of the former section, on which are fastened the cleats c, are then passed through the notches o between the ends a of thelatter section, and between thecross-pieces b d, as shown in fig. 1, the heels ofthe cleats c allowed to .engage the cross-strip d, and the sections are 'straightened-until the ends a of the former section bear against thebevel faces of the crossstrips?) d; The ends a' are, however, irst slipped or dropped down below the notches o, till they occupy the position shown.

On the inside of one end of each section is fastened 'faced cleats c down against the shoulders of the crosspiece l) and the halved ends of the other section.

This description, it will be observed, is particularly -applicable'tc the form of fence shown in fig. 2.

The construct-ion of the joint shown in iig. 1, however, is exactly the saine, as to the parts marked a, a', `b,'c,au d (l.

Io interlock the sections of Iig. 1, the further ends are brought nearer together, so that the cleated half bars a may pass between the cross-strips b d, which latter being done, the further ends are separated until the ends a bear, on the one side against the strip b, and on .the other, against the strip d, the heels of the cleats` c resting also'ngainst the strip (l.

The advantages of our invention are, its simplicity and cheapness of construction, and its convenience and adaptability to'any surface.

In building our fence on uneven or sloping ground, the cross-pieces b being fastened to the rails a by a single nail, we rack or push over so as to make the cross-strips b stand plumb, and then secure them in that position by put-ting in another nail, or other convenient way.

If it is desired to take down, movc, or shift it, all that is necessary is to draw out the sliding latch g, in fig. 2, and unhoolr and draw out the bevelled ends a from each other. By thus taking out a single panel or section, a gateway can be formed at any desred place.

It will be observed that for the purpose of making a gateway, by using the additional devices shown in tig. 2, such devices or additions are required on only one end of the gateway, panel, or section, its opposite' end remaining the same as in iigjl, as also the end of the panel with which it is interlocked.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a portable fence, an interlocking joint, consisting of the ends a', cleats c, and cross-strips b d, all arranged and used substantially in the manner set forth.

hands.

LEWIS 'HAZLET-T. S. l). HAZLETT. Witnesses g. T Hos. B. Kenn, .JOHN GLENN. 

